Questions about the Cayman Aggressor

[KathyV]

The only comment I heard...about the Agressor was finding kitchen refuse (egg shells, orange peels, etc.) on the reef under their mooring. It was a minor mention during a dive brief that the there might be more wildlife in the area having a snack. You're always going to have one bad apple in the DM barrel. Probably just missed their morning joe or dropped a tank on their foot . I've always found them to be a very pleasant and efficient bunch. I would dive with them anytime (wish I was there now). YMMV.

I agree, I was just surprised by the vehement comments and wondered how much truth was in them. But I would be very annoyed to find garbage littering the reef, even though it was bio-degradable garbage, maybe that's the reason for the bad feelings.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

As to parking in one spot...

There are two different sized buoys (18 inch and 30 inch) in the Public Mooring system in Cayman. The larger (30 inch) buoys are attached to stronger anchors designed to hold "vessels up to 100ft" according to the DOE. The Cayman Aggressor is 110ft. Ostensibly the Aggressor is too big to use the public moorings, but clearly they do.

There are a limited number of the larger moorings. Thus the Aggressor tends not to move around as much. They really cannot use the smaller moorings if there is any wind at all lest they pull out the anchor and ruin the mooring for all operators.

Finally per the DOE, "Please limit your use of the mooring to 3 hours or less." However the Cayman Aggressor tends to park on a site MUCH longer than 3 hours. If a small boat snags a preferred site for the first dive of the morning they will likely move on so another boat can use the mooring for the second dive of the mooring. The Aggressor won't move on so they tie up the site for the entire morning.

And due to the limited number of the larger moorings the Cayman Aggressor may park on the same mooring for more than one day. This happens more often when weather is unfavorable, particularly if they cannot make the crossing to the Sister Islands. This can block out multiple dive operators from accessing a particular site for a couple days.

 

[KathyV]

As to parking in one spot...There are two different sized buoys (18 inch and 30 inch) in the Public Mooring system in Cayman. The larger (30 inch) buoys are attached to stronger anchors designed to hold "vessels up to 100ft" according to the DOE. The Cayman Aggressor is 110ft. Ostensibly the Aggressor is too big to use the public moorings, but clearly they do.

There are a limited number of the larger moorings. Thus the Aggressor tends not to move around as much. They really cannot use the smaller moorings if there is any wind at all lest they pull out the anchor and ruin the mooring for all operators. Finally per the DOE, "Please limit your use of the mooring to 3 hours or less." However the Cayman Aggressor tends to park on a site MUCH longer than 3 hours. If a small boat snags a preferred site for the first dive of the morning they will likely move on so another boat can use the mooring for the second dive of the mooring. The Aggressor won't move on so they tie up the site for the entire morning.

And due to the limited number of the larger moorings the Cayman Aggressor may park on the same mooring for more than one day. This happens more often when weather is unfavorable, particularly if they cannot make the crossing to the Sister Islands. This can block out multiple dive operators from accessing a particular site for a couple days.

Thanks, that makes things much clearer.

 

[keyshunter]

On Little Cayman, at least, CA is only supposed to moor on double pin moorings--2 pins into the bottom with a chain between. They do occasionally break a mooring line, however, and it does seem to take an inordinate amount of time to have it replaced. The day boats usually always move after 1 dive, but I have, at times, seen CA on a particular mooring all morning, and still on it when we come out for the afternoon dive.

 

[KathyV]

On Little Cayman, at least, CA is only supposed to moor on double pin moorings--2 pins into the bottom with a chain between. They do occasionally break a mooring line, however, and it does seem to take an inordinate amount of time to have it replaced. The day boats usually always move after 1 dive, but I have, at times, seen CA on a particular mooring all morning, and still on it when we come out for the afternoon dive.

Last year on Cayman Brac we were diving from a Reef Divers day boat when the mooring line broke (it was the line that broke not the pin). It was a windy day and I can see how a larger boat would be limited in its mooring sites and run greater risk of breakage. The Cayman Aggressor also moors off of Cayman Brac, although more often off of LC when weather permits, so the "2-pin rule" probably applies there also.

Later the divemasters from Brac Reef Divers looked for and collected the float ball/buoy and said that they "were expensive and having the ball would make it easier to get the mooring fixed by the government contractor." They didn't say how long it would take.

I was very impressed with the Reef Divers staff during that incident (and at other times both on CB and LC.) They had divers in the water with no boat topside because of the breakage. They kept us all together on the surface while we floated and swam downstream to the next mooring to find our boat waiting for us. Nobody panicked and we had great story to share around the bar that evening!

 

[KeithG]

Who "owns" the mooring buoys?

I Bonaire I have witnessed a dive boat kick a private dinghy off of a mooring. We were told Stinaapa owns the moorings and dive ops get priority over private boats. Bonaire dive sites are first come first serve and we often end up bouncing over a few sites since another dive op boat was already on the planned site.

On liveaboards in Belize I have seen moorings being pulled out AND new moorings being installed, by the liveaboard crew. We were told the moorings were maintained by the liveaboards and so they got priority over the day boat trips to the blue hole.

 

[KathyV]

Who "owns" the mooring buoys? I Bonaire I have witnessed a dive boat kick a private dinghy off of a mooring. We were told Stinaapa owns the moorings and dive ops get priority over private boats. Bonaire dive sites are first come first serve and we often end up bouncing over a few sites since another dive op boat was already on the planned site.

On liveaboards in Belize I have seen moorings being pulled out AND new moorings being installed, by the liveaboard crew. We were told the moorings were maintained by the liveaboards and so they got priority over the day boat trips to the blue hole.

I am pretty sure that the Cayman Government owns and maintains the permanent mooring sites. There was a discussion about this previously on SB and it was shown that the Caymanian Government's Annual Budget includes funds for placing, maintaining, and repairing moorings. They even publish a "goal" about the percentage of moorings to be routinely replaced on an annual basis, although I don't remember what it was. Pretty high I think, like 90%? I don't know if they usually achieve that goal.

But I know that this is not true everywhere in the Caribbean. We have encountered locations where the local dive ops have had to band together to purchase, set, and maintain the moorings without any government support - because they wanted to preserve the reefs and enhance their livelihoods. I imagine that they would feel very proprietary about them in such cases.

 

[Wookie]

In Florida, moorings are installed and maintained by the entity who has control of that particular area of ocean. In the FKNMS, they (or a contractor) maintains the buoys. In a National Park, the NPS (or a contractor) maintains the buoys. In Key West, the City, and outside of Key West, the county maintains their mooring fields.

In the Bahamas, it's a free for all. Anyone who wants to put in a mooring (except for the Exhumas Marine Park) does so, wherever they want. The Exhumas Marine Park maintains their own. Same in Belize.

In St. Croix, many were installed by Nekton. They got in trouble for that, and were made to hire the commercial dive company to put them in. You can thank Nekton for installing moorings in many places in the Caribbean. They installed the moorings at Mona, Desecheo, Cay Sal Bank, Old Bahama Channel, etc. I have their numbers and use their moorings to this day.

 

[WarrenZ]

It was explained by the capt on the blackbeards boat that their company puts in a lot of the moorings however once the mooring is in place it is free for use of all. Which is why a lot of their "buoys" sit just under the surface at low tide. We also deliberately sat on a buoy until the other boat could get there to keep a fishing boat from stealing the dive site and tieing into the buoy.

 

[Doctorfish]

In the Cayman Islands, the moorings are put in and maintained by the Department of the Environment for public use for diving and snorkelling. There do not seem to be any regulations as to how long a boat may tie up at one.

I've been on LC diving a number of times where the Aggressor has been moored at Mixing Bowl or one of the other popular sites all day. I've also been on GC and seen the Aggressor moored at Kittewake/Sandchute for half a day. No big deal as this does not limit day boat access to those sites, as it is possible to moor at the next site over and dive across.

The day boats seem to have an understanding re first come first served, but they stay at any mooring for one tank only. When on GC, I always go out with an operator who leaves dock early and has a relatively fast boat. If the wind precludes going North, the number of good wall sites on the West is limited and somewhat competitive.